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English Literature

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The Canterbury Tales

geoffrey

chaucer

He was an English poet and author, widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages, and he is best known for The Canterbury Tales.

Chaucer is also considered as the "Father of English literature" .

About him

He was the responsible for demonstrating the potential that English had in the literature field, resorting to French poetry, English songs and Greek classics.

Geoffrey got combine the old with the new, all in the natural rhythm of Middle English.

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Historical Context

Canterbury

Tales

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400.

More Info

In few Words...

The tales are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return.

ST. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket

Also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, he was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church, and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral.

Chaucer's Writing

Style

How did he write?

He uses the tales and descriptions of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time, and particularly of the Church. Chaucer's use of such a wide range of classes and types of people was without precedent in English.

What is it?

Vernacular Language

It's a native dialect used by peolple to communicate in informal contexts It's used to facilitate communication across a large area. The vernacular is usually native, normally spoken informally rather than written.

Audience

What was the Audience for this Tales?

While Chaucer clearly states the addressees of many of his poems, the intended audience of The Canterbury Tales is more difficult to determine. Chaucer was a courtier, leading some to believe that he was mainly a court poet who wrote exclusively for nobility.

Courtier

What was a Courtier?

A courtier was a person who was often in attendance at the court of a monarch or other royal personage. Historically the court was the center of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and the social and political life were often completely mixed together.

The Order of the Tales

Order

Some scholarly editions divide the Tales into ten "Fragments". The tales that make up a Fragment are closely related and contain internal indications of their order of presentation, usually with one character speaking to and then stepping aside for another character.

Fragments

Fragments

Tone

Tone

The Canterbury Tales incorporates an impressive range of attitudes toward life and literature. The tales are by turns satirical, elevated, earthy, bawdy, and comical. The reader should not accept the narrator’s point of view as Chaucer’s.

Principal Characters

Characters

1. Chaucer: is the narrator of the stories, he tells the tales on the road to Canterbury. But he is considered separated from the author because he is a keen observer.

2. Harry Bailey: he is the host of the inn, he is always cheerful. He is the one who suggest the storytelling contest and sets the rules for the contest.

3. The knight: chivalrous and wise, courteous, heroic and polite. Chaucer described the knight as someone with no flaws.

More Characters

4. The Miller: strong, brawny man. He hijacks the host’s role to tell rude story.

5. The Reeve: old frightening-looking man whose business is taking care of people’s estates.

6. The Wife of Bath: been on many pilgrimages. She had five husbands and was a successful seamstress.

7. The Pardoner: a dishonest man who sells fake relics.

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